The Cecil Whig., 1887-12-24
CURIOUS CUSTOMS.
HOW CHRISTMAS WAS OBSERVED in
DAYS OF YORE.
Merry Days of the Long Ago-what is the
Proper ffato for the Great Celebration.

/ PROPER iato tht tffht S6iSbfAttbu.
While the festival of Christmas
is the most important OF the ecCle-
siastical year, it is. nevertheless,
doubtful if the 25th of December
was in reality the birthday of Christ.
Some communities in the dim past
were in the habit Of celebrating it on
the Ist or 9th of January, others
again on the 29th Of March. The
eastern and western churches differ
ed-the former observing 1t on the
9th of January and the latter on the
25th of December. Julius |. was
the first pope who fixed the date,
adopting the 25uh Of December, the
day on which all Christian nations
celebrate the coming Of the Messiah
at the present time. 1t is the opin-
ion of some that the Christmas fes-
tlval commences on the 10Th of De
cember, and others that it begins on
the eve before Christmas dav. In any
event the festival ends on the day OF
the Publication of the Virgin, or
Candlemas, when all decorations in
churches are taken down.
Sir Walter Scott, in his poem OF
'Marmion," enumerates some Of tie
customs incident to Christmas. He
says:
'On Christmas eve the bell. were runs,
| On Christmas eve the Inass was sung;
That only night lii all the year
Saw the stoled priest the cialice rear;
The damael doDneA her lsirtle sheen,
| The hall WAS dressed with holly green;
| Forth to the wood did merry men GO,
! 10 gather in the mi5t!atoa.
| Then opened wide the baron's hall,
| To vasaa1, tenant, serf aud all;
| Power laid his rnJ of rlle aside,
| And ceremony dotied his pride.
| The heir, wit h ?oses IN hi- Shoes,
| That III ght might village partner choose,
| The lord, undergoaling. share
| The vulgar nule of post and pair.
| All hailed with uncontrolled delight
| And genial voice tue happy night,
| That to the cottage, as the crown,
| Brought tidings of salvation down.
In England during the Anglo
Saxon period, and under the Nor
man kings, the festival Of the Say
Jour S nativity was ushered in by the
display of a calm religious feeling,
unmingled with the consideration Of
mere worldly enjoyments. With
them the practice prevailed of as
sembling upon the occasion the chief
prelates and mobiles of the kingdom,
when the general affairs of the coun-
try we're taken into consideration,
but at the same time, and in order
to give a relief, as it were, to the
councils, the guests we're treated to
a series of gran baaqucts. One Of
the old rom 4nCeS had it:
"Christmas is time full honest;
King Richa ID IL honored with great feast.
All his clerks and bArons
Were set in their paviions,
And served with great plenty
OF meat aud drink, and each dainty"
At several Of he entertainments of
the period as many IS 10000 dishes
were set before the guests. The
favorite dish Of all was the boar S
head, which at the great banquets
sill retains the post of honor. The
days which were spent in de.ibera-
ton and te~stlng gave up their nights
to revelry, at which Mosques and
mummlngs were varied with games
of chance and the tricks OF monte
banks and jugglers. This was kept
up for period Of IL days, and it
was rarely until the expiration of the
closing night debauch that time
was found for a return to more seri-
GUS proceedings.
The custom of decking with eyer
greens The churchs in England and
Ireland dates from a very early
period, and was in all probability the
continuation of pagan rite. For
this purpose the holly and the ivy
were the most favorite evergreens,
and they are looked upon as sacred
elnblems OF the season. An old
writer, whose name has long since
been obliterated by the dust of cen
turies, thus sings of the ivy:
'Ivy chief of tree, it is
Veni coronaberis.
The most worthy is she in town;
He who saws other says smiss;
Worthy is she to wear the crown;
Veni coronabers.
Ivy is soft and meek of speech,
Against all woe she brincsth bliss;
Happy is he that may her reach;
Veui coronsberis
Ivy is green, OF color bright,
all traas r nliar